Ken Klein and Bill Blake were leading in the primary election race for Snohomish County Council District 1 according to preliminary results released as of 5 p.m. on Aug. 8, by the Snohomish County Elections Office.

“I’m very excited to know how well we did,” said Klein, who was leading the race with 6,304 votes or 32.37 percent. “We did better than projected and it’s a hard-fought race. I’m glad we are going to have a clear election.”

The top two candidates in each race advance to the general election on Nov. 5.

“I think people like my message,” said Blake, who was just behind Klein with 5,461 votes or 28.04 percent. “Throughout all the different interviews, articles and forums that I’ve done, I see that people are really responding to the idea of increasing the natural resources economy and opportunities in this county. People see that I’ve completed a lot of projects and when I have an idea, I follow through.”

Gary Wright, with 4,749 votes or 24.39 percent, trailed behind Klein and Blake, and was surprised at the outcome of the primary.

“I believe it’s surprising, but not shocking,” he said. “I thought we would have a higher percentage at this point. We could still gain some as the votes come in, so I am not going to say it’s all over for certain.”

Carsten Mullin received 1,741 votes or 8.94 percent and is happy to continue volunteering for the city of Arlington.

“It’s looking like it will be an election between Bill and Ken,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a huge surprise — both will do well for Snohomish County. Right now, I enjoy volunteering with the city of Arlington — with baseball and the Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission, and volunteering as a coach of my daughter’s soccer and basketball team at the Boys & Girls Club — so I think I will continue to do that.”

Klein and Blake will be focusing on spreading their message to the voters as the general election nears.

“I’m basically just keeping the same message,” said Klein. “We’ve been saying the same thing from the beginning — we are focusing on economic growth by creating a positive environment for businesses in Snohomish County and I want people to have confidence in the county on that level. We also want to do something about property rights — make it easier for people to use their property rather than going through so many government hoops. This will make it easier for people to farm on their land.”

Blake is interested in hearing from community members on issues that are important to them.

“At this point, I want to be available to listen to the public and hear what they are looking for in a county council member,” said Blake. “I think people trust me because I have worked from the bottom up. I want to listen and also share ideas on diversity in economic growth.”

Libertarian candidate Sean Olson received 1,132 votes or 5.81 percent.

Although the election took place on Aug. 6, the county will not verify the election until Aug. 20 and the state will verify it on Aug. 23.